Blog

Since the HIV Organ Policy Equity Act (the HOPE Act) passed in 2013, there have been no known cases of a transplant from a positive donor.

Recently, a study by Dr. Emily Blumberg and her team published in the American Journal of Transplantation reviewed 578 medical record of deaths occurring at six large Philadelphia HIV clinics. Based on their findings, the researchers estimated the potential for four to five HIV positive organ donors in Philadelphia annually. Extrapolating the data from Philadelphia, they estimated there is a potential for nearly 400 HIV positive organ donors annually in the US. In Philadelphia alone, there are an estimated 80-100 HIV positive people on the transplant wait list. Pursing HIV positive donors could bring hope to HIV positive patients waiting for transplants nationally.

Currently, the National Institute of Health is writing guidelines to oversee the implementation of the HOPE Act.

*The Alliance will be hosting a webinar on this topic later this year.